SUB-ZERO temperatures as low as -10C will dominate in Wales over the next few days, say forecasters.

Forecasters at MeteoGroup said the chilly conditions are likely to be accompanied by heavy rain and snow.

It is expected that the worst of the weather will be felt in the valleys and sheltered areas.

A spokesperson said: “Pretty much anywhere that’s not right along the coast (will see the frosty temperatures).

"Quite widely they'll be between -4C and -7C tonight. It's possible that some localised areas could get down to -10C. If you were to see -10C in Wales it would possibly be in the Valleys."

The temperatures will start to plummet today as soon as it begins to go dark. Tomorrow maximum temperatures are not likely to rise above 3C in Wales and overnight on Wednesday are again expected to drop as low as -8C.

Drivers are being warned by the Met Office to take extra care on roads left treacherous by ice.

Spokeswoman Alison Richards said: "People need to be aware that if the roads are damp then the frost can lead to icy conditions."

MeteoGroup said the conditions being brought in from the Atlantic could result in snow over the weekend.

"There’s a chance of snow in eastern areas. But I certainly wouldn’t say the risk is across all of Wales, I think it’s just eastern areas at the moment," added the spokesperson.

The Met Office said the heavy rain would hit Wales on Thursday and showers would remain until Saturday. The biting temperatures, snow showers and overnight frosts could last until the end of February.

The big freeze continued to overwhelm parts of eastern Europe yesterday as record snowfall and harsh temperatures brought entire regions to a standstill. Serbia and Bosnia shut schools and struggled to continue public transport.

The death toll, mostly homeless people, continues to rise into the hundreds and temperatures have fallen as low as -36C in Ukraine.

Next page: Birds head for shelter in gardens during big freeze

Birds have flocked into gardens in the face of the recent harsh weather, the British Trust for Ornithology said today.

Numbers of fieldfares and redwings, both winter migrants to the UK, have jumped in the past week as the freezing, snowy conditions hit.

More than five times as many fieldfares have been seen in gardens compared with the previous week, while redwing numbers have more than doubled, according to the BTO’s Garden BirdWatch scheme in which 14,500 people count birds throughout the year.

Less than a fortnight ago the RSPB was warning hundreds of thousands of people taking part in its annual Big Garden Birdwatch that, with the mild winter, many garden birds could prove elusive as there was plenty of food in the countryside.

But since the snowy weather hit, common species including wrens and blackbirds have increased by a third, while song thrush and woodpigeon numbers have increased by almost three-quarters (72%), the BTO weekly count revealed.

Dr Tim Harrison of the BTO said: "Fieldfares and redwings rely predominantly on getting food from berries on bushes or soil-dwelling invertebrates.

"With the snow and ice covering the ground across large parts of the countryside, these birds aren’t able to access that food as easily as they would do and are moving into gardens, towns and cities to find feeding resources."

He added: "They are normally shy birds and wouldn’t be coming into gardens unless conditions were difficult in the countryside."

Dr Harrison said the increase in other species such as blackbirds, and bramblings, whose numbers have increased by 52%, was the kind of movement into gardens experts would expect with cold weather.

"Brambling do come into gardens more when there’s particularly cold weather, and the wren is one of the UK’s smallest birds and tends to struggle in periods of prolonged cold weather," he said.

"Our garden bird communities are very fluid, they change a lot throughout the seasons, and can be very heavily influenced by severe weather events.

"The survival of these birds is on a knife-edge but there is much that householders can do to help.

"Peanuts, finely grated cheese and beef suet can provide a calorific hit; windfall or fresh fruit will help sustain thrushes, and sunflower hearts are a particular favourite with finches."

He said putting food on the ground, including fruit or live mealworms which are similar to their invertebrate prey, would help birds such as fieldfares and redwings.

Next page: Busiest weekend in RAC's history

The RAC said it had experienced the busiest February weekend in its history, with 41% more calls than usual.

In Wales there were 65% more call-outs than is usual for the time of year.

Kevin Andrews, of the RAC, said: “With continued frozen weather black ice is becoming a major issue on the roads. Motorists need to drive smooth and steady on the roads and avoid sudden braking and steering.”

Britain’s big freeze shows little sign of relenting with sub-zero temperatures set to bring more misery to commuters up and down the country in the coming days.

Motorists taking to the roads have been warned to expect hazardous driving conditions again today with ice and freezing fog forecast across parts of the UK.

Further flurries of snow could also fall in some parts of England with experts predicting a temperature low of -10C tonight as the shivering spell of weather continues to sweep in from Siberia.

Victoria Kettley, forecaster for MeteoGroup, the weather arm of the Press Association, said: “Tonight is going to be mostly clear and dry but bitterly, bitterly cold. Across much of England and Wales we will see temperatures dropping to between -4C and -8C and in local spots it could get as low as -10C overnight.”

Six severe weather alerts are in place this morning warning of ice on untreated roads and pavements across much of northern, central and eastern England.

Issuing yellow alerts, which urge people to “be aware”, the Met Office said the public should be aware of “risk of disruption to travel”.

Ms Kettley added: “The snow which fell over the weekend is slowly melting and keeping the roads wet. This moisture then turns to ice when the temperature drops causing dangerous conditions on untreated routes.”

Overnight temperatures dipped to around -6C in Scotland and northern England and between 0C and -1C in southern England, with pockets of freezing fog developing in some low-lying areas.

Wintry showers also hit parts if East Anglia, Lincolnshire and the East Midlands.

The Highways Agency confirmed gritters were sent out to treat and clear roads in eastern areas last night and during the early hours of this morning.

Today will mainly be dry and bright in northern parts of the UK, with early wintry showers, cloud and freezing fog in the south clearing as the day progresses.

Some areas of southern England and the Wash could get a light dusting of snow but not any significant accumulations, Ms Kettley said.

The thick blanket of snow that fell over parts of the UK at the weekend caused major travel disruption with a spike in road crashes and breakdowns. A handful of schools were also forced to close yesterday due to the adverse weather conditions, while Heathrow Airport axed half of all flights on Sunday night.

The RAC said it had seen the busiest February weekend in its history, with 41% more calls than usual.

The worst affected area was Devon and Cornwall which had twice the usual number of call-outs. In addition, the south of England had 80% more breakdowns than usual and the West Midlands and Wales had 65% more.

A 25-mile (40km) long section of the A1 northbound was closed for a number of hours yesterday morning following a series of collisions between Allerton Park, near York, and the Catterick area.